Queenstown and beyond: Adventure, beauty, muttonbirds

Sam Eichblatt, for CNN

Updated 0546 GMT (1346 HKT) February 11, 2015

Queenstown and beyond ... CNNGo New Zealand8 photos

Longest lake – Queenstown sits on Lake Wakatipu, New Zealand's longest at 80 kilometers. Some brave souls swim in the chilly waters, but boat charter is a more popular option for taking in the incredible views.

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Call of the muttonbird – On the Queenstown lakeshore, Aggy's Fish and Chip Shack serves deep-fried fresh scallops and muttonbird -- an oily fish locals say tastes like old sheep.

Classics hotel – Design classics, including Eames recliners and Phillippe Starck lighting, are featured in the rooms at the Spire Hotel in Queenstown.

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Local gourmet – In addition to local cuisine such as foraged gooseberries and South Island scampi, the restaurant's signature prosciutto and flash-fried beef cheeks tempura-style on cauliflower mousse are a must-try.

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Pork belly and pinot – The onsite bistro at Amisfield Winery, on Lake Hayes, is celebrated for both.

(CNN)It might be in New Zealand, but the resort town of Queenstown feels as much like Aspen or Chamonix as it does Dunedin, its largest urban neighbor.

Along with abundant adventure-travel offerings, the onetime gold rush hub is big on beauty: the aptly named Remarkables mountain range forms a dramatic backdrop to serene Lake Wakatipu, which shimmers on a sunny day with countless tiny glacial motes suspended in its waters.

The extraordinary setting and an international outlook have made this little corner of New Zealand's South Island a trans-seasonal center for cool-climate pinot noir, adventurous gastronomy and quirky design, galleries and hotels.

Here's a small sample of what the area has to offer.

Aggy's Fish and Chip Shack (Queenstown)

Right on the shore of Lake Wakatipu, this tiny, much-loved kiosk serves beer-battered, deep-fried fresh scallops and oysters, fish and chips and idiosyncratic Kiwi fare such as whitebait (tiny, whole freshwater small fry), smoked eel and muttonbird.

Muttonbird?

No, New Zealand doesn't have sheep on wings.

An acquired taste, this former staple of Maori and colonial sailors is the fledgling of local seabirds, with a dark, oily meat that some say tastes more like mutton than fish.

Chef-patron and author of the cookbook "Saffron," Pete Gawron distills Central Otago's seasons into edible form at his restaurant.

Locally foraged gooseberries and South Island scampi are on the menu, alongside homemade prosciutto and striking flavor combinations such as flash-fried beef cheeks tempura-style on cauliflower mousse.

The schist-walled stone building in the center of Arrowtown's historic precinct (15 minutes' drive from central Queenstown) has a roaring fire in winter, a courtyard for outdoor eating and range of local wines.

Queenstown residents call ahead to reserve the pork belly at this bistro attached to a winery in a striking, modern schist-clad building overlooking Lake Hayes and designed by acclaimed New Zealand architects Warren & Mahoney.

The winemakers have won awards for their pinot noir, the temperamental varietal for which the central Otago terroir has proved ideal.

The menu at the bistro, which won "Cuisine" magazine's best winery restaurant for the third time last year, is designed to complement the winery's produce